VOA慢速英语--美国一些移民孩子担心父母会被驱逐出境

Children of Immigrants Fear Parents May Be Sent Away

Jacqueline Landaverde, age 17, hopes to study political science and law in college. Kevin Palma, also 17, wants to become a doctor.

The two young people are in their final year of high school. They were born in the United States, so they are U.S. citizens. But their parents are not. They moved here from El Salvador under the Temporary Protected Status Program, or TPS. They could live and work legally in the United States for a short period of time while their homeland was dealing¹ with natural disasters or political problems.

The TPS Program did not offer immigrants a way to become U.S. citizens or live permanently² in the country. In September 2017, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said it would end the program for six of 10 protected countries. More than 400,000 immigrants from El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua and Sudan would lose their legal guarantees.

In October 2018, a judge stopped the Trump³ administration from ending the TPS status for immigrants from Haiti, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Sudan. The Department of Homeland Security announced on March 1 that the TPS will continue for these four countries until January 2, 2020. A separate court case stopped orders to expel about 57,000 Honduran and 9,000 Nepali TPS holders⁴.

Both Landaverde and Palma think their lives will change a great deal if their parents are forced to return to El Salvador. It would probably end their dreams of going to college.

Palma spoke⁵ to VOA: “When it struck me was about two years ago, in 2017, when I was actually told the consequences that would happen. Basically, family separation ... I would have to stay here. I’d have to get a full-time⁶ job to take care of my siblings⁷.”

Landaverde’s situation is the same. As the oldest child in her family, she, too, would have to get a job and take care of her three brothers and sisters. She is shocked that this situation may come about.

“Growing up I never knew. I just knew protection and my parents were legal in this country. ... We heard these rumors⁸ ‘TPS is going to be canceled.’”

Landaverde said she spoke with her parents. They gave a “brief explanation” and said, “It has kept us here in this country.”

But she really understood the problem when she did her own research. She found the Massachusetts Temporary Protected Status Committee. The group organizes demonstrations⁹ and meetings, and sends information to TPS holders.

A play with real stories

VOA met with both high school students and their friends in Bethesda, Maryland, at the Imagination Stage Theatre. There they and 11 other children performed “The Last Dream” -- a project from the Boston Experimental Theatre. In the show, children of TPS recipients¹⁰ tell their real-life stories.

"Jackie, they hate us. They don't want us here anymore. Do you not understand that? Next year, none of us are going to be here to celebrate with Sofia, none of us."

Beth Brooks-Mwano watched the play. She felt thankful that the children shared their stories and said that she left with a new understanding.

Will you help me?

The play was part of a three-day series of events. Thousands of TPS holders came to Washington, DC to talk with U.S. lawmakers and ask for a way they could become permanent residents. Democratic Party activists¹¹ like the idea of helping¹² TPS holders stay. Most Republicans are against the idea. There are seven cases in court related to the Trump administration stopping the TPS Program.

Performances of “The Last Dream” are continuing across the country. Palma and Landaverde should learn about their requests to attend college in a month or two.

I’m Jill Robbins.

Words in This Story

status – n. standing; the official position of someone or something

1 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

2 permanently   

adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地

参考例句：

• The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。

3 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

4 holders   

支持物( holder的名词复数 )； 持有者； （支票等）持有人； 支托（或握持）…之物

参考例句：

• Slaves were mercilessly ground down by slave holders. 奴隶受奴隶主的残酷压迫。
• It is recognition of compassion's part that leads the up-holders of capital punishment to accuse the abolitionists of sentimentality in being more sorry for the murderer than for his victim. 正是对怜悯的作用有了认识，才使得死刑的提倡者指控主张废除死刑的人感情用事，同情谋杀犯胜过同情受害者。

5 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

6 full-time   

adj.满工作日的或工作周的，全时间的

参考例句：

• A full-time job may be too much for her.全天工作她恐怕吃不消。
• I don't know how she copes with looking after her family and doing a full-time job.既要照顾家庭又要全天工作，我不知道她是如何对付的。

7 siblings   

n.兄弟，姐妹( sibling的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• A triplet sleeps amongst its two siblings. 一个三胞胎睡在其两个同胞之间。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She has no way of tracking the donor or her half-siblings down. 她没办法找到那个捐精者或她的兄弟姐妹。 来自时文部分

8 rumors   

n.传闻( rumor的名词复数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷v.传闻( rumor的第三人称单数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷

参考例句：

• Rumors have it that the school was burned down. 有谣言说学校给烧掉了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Rumors of a revolt were afloat. 叛变的谣言四起。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

10 recipients   

adj.接受的；受领的；容纳的；愿意接受的n.收件人；接受者；受领者；接受器

参考例句：

• The recipients of the prizes had their names printed in the paper. 获奖者的姓名登在报上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The recipients of prizes had their names printed in the paper. 获奖者名单登在报上。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

11 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。